Not a big surprise here — I’ve been a skeptic all along because I believe Mark Teixeira and his agent Scott Boras aren’t foolish enough to sign with Peter Angelos and the Orioles — but ESPN’s Buster Olney is reporting that “unless free agent Mark Teixeira is willing to give the Orioles a major hometown discount, it does not appear he will be playing in Baltimore.

Of course, this could be Boras whispering to Olney in the hopes of getting Angelos and lapdog Andy McPhail out of their cave to make their “best” offer. Don’t kid yourself: it’s all posturing at this point and certainly some weak attempts to fan the media flame to get a higher bid. Right now, it’s the LEAD STORY on ESPN.com.

Word is (and has been all along) that the Washington Nationals have wowed Teixeira with the sheer amount of dough they’ve put on the table. Guestimated at $160 million for eight years by mlb.com. Like I wrote yesterday, it’s “almost” home. And it might be a better play for him and a better chance to win for Teixeira.

And, of course, Angelos gets to still cash in from his MASN money with a Teixeira-to-the-Nationals signing without having to reach into his own ample pockets for more money or risk. (Of course, nothing about any of this makes the Orioles any better in the short term.)

Once again, Angelos appears to be a bridesmaid. (I’m honestly not sure that he really cares that much anymore. What’s one more embarrassment at this point?)

2. This was sent to me via email yesterday. It’s Walt Coleman, who will be forever remembered as the Jim Tunney of the new era. (How will this dude EVER get a Baltimore home game again, I wonder?) I laughed. I figured you would too…